This is perhaps THE most complex part of the the whole five-part formula and is critical to achieving full potential in achieving the the aims and dreams of all detectorists.

The recovery process starts with the first and most critical part of the formula being realised, and that is; does history or indeed artefacts actually exist in the field/area you are about to search or seek permission?

The next important factor is to quantify that history does exist there, and then, how many artefacts actually exist in that field and within the range of your machines search coil and capabilities. One of the biggest problems in metal-detecting circles is that detectorists imagine finds such as hammered coinage, Roman coinage, gold coins and other "dream" finds may exist in many of their fields. Unfortunately, and sadly, this isn't the case as most fields only have modern history within them such as pre-decimal coinage, modern coinage and rubbish.

After points 1 and 2 have been satisfied this, above all, is essential; and that is to ensure that most finds are recovered from a field or area by ensuring that there is 100% coverage of that field or area. There will be very little missed if the disciplined methods are followed which are written in another section.

The best results are realised when carrying out a structured survey pattern as per the recoveries displayed on our Flickr site. A structured survey also helps with any return visits as your last search pattern is recorded accurately enabling a precise starting point for the next survey. Once this structured pattern is owned, success is only a matter of time. ​

Above all, if no evidence is identified by fieldwalking, or signals via metal-detecting, then a decision has to be made whether or not to revisit that particular field/area in the future.

Field conditions, geology and machine capability may influence results to a very slight degree but the survey will accurately indicate the overall historical content of the land surveyed. It all depends on how much effort/expense you wish to expend on the remaining land you have at your disposal however, no signals will almost certainly indicate a very low chance of anything of historical value existing there.

Once finds of historical value are recovered the next stage is to clean, photograph and conserve them.